Curse of the Abyss/Strains of Ascent

Though The Abyss is riddled with countless dangers and hazards, one of the greatest challenges facing Delvers is, in fact, the ascent from it. This is due to a phenomenon called the Curse of the Abyss or Strains of Ascent. The term refers to a series of symptoms that manifest upon ascending while inside The Abyss. The effects of the Curse manifest after ascending around 30 feet within The Abyss, and there is no way to avoid it through conventional means. The Curse affects all living things; however, the creatures that inhabit The Abyss have developed ways to sense its flow and avoid it.

The deeper one delves, the more severe the symptoms are, starting at some dizziness and nausea and gradually getting worse, to the point of death. This makes the return trip from The Abyss extremely difficult, and it is not uncommon for Delvers to perish on the way up. Particularly, the curse of the Capital of the Unreturned makes the return journey physically impossible for people.  Delvers who experience the Strains of Ascent constantly build a tolerance to it, allowing them to ascend The Abyss with slightly more ease each time.

The Curse results from piercing the force field of The Abyss while ascending. Therefore, areas where the force field is weaker also result in the effects of the curse being less severe.

Type

Supernatural

Edge of the Abyss strains of ascent:
Light dizziness & nausea.

Inverted Forest strains of ascent:
Heavy nausea, headache, & numbness of the extremities.

The Great Fault strains of ascent:
Severe vertigo combined with visual & auditory hallucinations.

Goblet of Giants strains of ascent:
Intense full-body pain, dizziness from pain & varying amounts of internal & external bleeding across the body.

Sea of Corpses strains of ascent:
Complete sensory deprivation, confusion, & self-harming behavior.

Capital of the Unreturned strains of ascent:
Hollowfication or death.  Under specific conditions, the Blessing of The Abyss could occur here.

The Final Maelstrom strains of ascent:
Unkown but assumed to be certain death.